Sunday, August 17, 2008

I) The most significant events in 2008/Olympic Games, are bound to Phelps and the jamaican sprinterUsain Bolt’s performances. Of their special trainings, technological innovations, diets, mental and other procedures, the break point is provided by their biotypes. In swimming -without doubt- one win with the arms and in track fields with the legs. Phelps carries hiperflexibles joints, wide shoulders and a voluminous thorax, beside short lower extremities. A bizarre body. His wingspan is bigger than its corporal height, putting to his disposal 2 potent natural oars. Seen from the inferior part of the swimming pool, their 1,93 of stature, 88 kg of weight, their thin hips and the movement of their lengthened feet give him the conformation of a fish or if one wants, that of a thin boat. Contrarily, Bolt, of 1,96 m of height, 76 kg weight and 22 years old, has kilometric legs and wide backs in charge of supporting a small head. In 45 strides, Bolt makes 100 m. As these biotypes are not exclusivity of black or white, it is of waiting that in next years will appear a)sprinters and aquamans of all racial types. b) that worlds records will be improved. Phelps broke 6 world records in these games and Bolt, when reducing the step in the last 20 m (to celebrate its victory), he gave the sensation to be able to have established a better mark. II) Some as John Powers, believes that Phelps is the best olympic of all times, because he mastered 4 styles (he wins 2 golds, in one day) and possesses superior aerobic capacity (in relation to sprinters). The track fields sportmen are potent in speed, but not in resistance, reason for which, they are not able to recover well after a hard run. Although Phelps is the best swimmer in all times (included Spitz and Thorpe), he is not the biggest olympic. It is easier to win multiple medals in swimming and gymnastics than in field tracks competitions. The corridors that compete vertically, have bodies, hearts and muscles that work more arduously than those of swimmers that compete horizontally. The swimmers recover quick and their international competitions are completed in few meetings. In fast runners the resistance training is decisive. To resist high speeds, after the first 6 seconds, alone can be achieved with highly specialized preparations.

III) But mental preparation and body disposition is also of value. Phelps and Bolt don’t like to lose, even in the trainings. Their lives are centered to 100%, in their respective specialties. Phelps has an intuitive relationship with the water. While most of swimmers learn, Phelps knows the things ahead of time. The swimmer Katie Hoff, estimated impossible that Phelps won 8 gold in these games, because tons of pressure and an enormous physical and mental waste. Phelps and Bolt won because they desired that and because they are highly competivives. During competitions, both are concentrated to the maximum and completely relaxed. IV) Bowman, accustoms to train Phelps, until the border of physical and mental exhaustion. Phelps is sometimes slept in the tiers of the pool. During high competitions "I alone eat, sleep and make training", he says. In these games Phelps has entered and left the pool 20 times, competing against the best in the world. He is accustomed to compete several times with short periods of rest, grace to their great recovery capacity. His lactate level after a hard competition is as low as 5 milimoles/L of blood. His aerobic capacity has been expanded by a high level of training, initiated at an early age. He trained 10-12 km, during 5 daily hours. The favorite training of Phelps is the butterfly style with a single hand and all related with recovery technics, dear until recently as a peripheral technical. Considered today however, as get rid of the stress, enhancer of immune system, favoring of an efficient glycogen storing, etc. Phelps swim 100 times the free style 100 m with rests of hardly 30 seconds. For the above-mentioned, the champion ingests 10 000 daily calories, including a good quantity of carbohydrates (sandwiches with fried eggs, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, fried onion and mayonnaise, egg’s omellettes, french toasts with sugar, bowls of cooked oat, enriched pizzas, white bread and energy drinks), to restore glycógen, obtaining instantaneous energy and great recovery capacity. Nevertheless the physique of Phelps could be described as stylized, almost meager (corporal fat: 8%). Bolt, to order of his trainer Mills, don’t like synthetic tracks. Both, prefer hints of grass that fatigue r away less, running cycles of 60 meters until the fatigue, with loads of haulages of 40 kgs. V) at the present time exists devices placed in human arms that measure the level of lactic acid and special suits that emulate the skin of the shark, highlighting inside them the Speedo LZR racer swuimsuit and those of Sand, Adidas and Mizuno. As in these games, hundredth of second are the difference between a winner and a loser, the suits are justified. As the Speedo LZR racer swuimsuit uses seams closed ultrasónically, the suits are really a second skin. The material employee in the LZR Racer is elastane-nylon and polyurethane that it is said maintain the body in a position but hydrodynamic, while it expels water and allows an improved flow of oxygen to the muscles. A suit that stuck to the thorax and other parts reduces muscular vibration, retaining energy. Small polyuretan panels embedded to certain parts of the suit, minimize the friction.